The Southern Asia-Pacific Division has appointed three new leaders to strengthen its mission refocus program and engage in the church's global mission. These individuals were publicly revealed during the Southern Asia-Pacific Division's Midyear meeting on May 2-3, 2023, at the Life Hope Impact Center in Silang, Cavite, Philippines.
Pastor Edgar Bryan Tolentino, the service director of the Ellen G. White Center, Pastor Felixian Felicitas, the associate director of the Mission Refocus Program, and Mr. Evin Villaruben, the assistant treasurer, are the newly appointed leaders for the Southern Asia-Pacific Division.
The appointment of these three people is in response to the division's ongoing efforts to engage in the church's global mission. The division acknowledges the need of empowering and reinforcing its mission refocus initiative, and the new workers are expected to play an important role in attaining this aim.
Pastor Tolentino, who has a theological and educational background and is the current Assistant Director for the Ellen G. White Estate Branch in the Philippines is expected to provide useful insights and assistance on how to apply and comprehend Ellen G. White's teachings. He will oversee efforts to educate members on the relevance and importance of the Adventist Church's prophetic legacy.
Pastor Felicitas is currently serving as the Dean of Theology at the Adventist University of the Philippines. He is expected to oversee the division's mission refocus initiatives. He has substantial experience in church planting, leadership development, and Christian education. The program's goal is to encourage and equip church members to serve as missionaries in their individual communities. Pastor Felicitas is anticipated to provide strategic guidance and oversight for the program's implementation across the division. Our major goal is to inspire, train, and push members to work together to spread the messages of the three angels throughout the world.
Mr. Villaruben, who served in the Central Philippine Union Conference and has over ten years of finance and accounting experience, is expected to give key financial management support to the division. As assistant treasurer, he will collaborate closely with the treasury team and other organizations and institutions to ensure efficient financial resource allocation and administration across the division.
The hiring of these three new professionals is a significant step forward in the Southern Asia-Pacific Division's efforts to strengthen its mission refocus program and engage in the church's global mission. The division is convinced that their knowledge and dedication will benefit the division's purpose and the Adventist community as a whole.
Edward Rodriguez, SSD Communication Department